It Comes Down to Who You Know

A great resume and polished interviewing skills are definite assets to have when it comes to hunting for job. However, the most important ability to have when hunting for a job is understanding the “power of networking” and the network you have available right in front to you.

The easiest way to set up your own networking program is to develop a list of everyone you know and compare that list to the companies where you would like to work. Here a few steps you can take to get that networking process moving:

• Write down everyone’s name you know and it doesn’t matter who they are, where they work or how you know them – everyone on the list is a potential source to help you find a job.

• Write down the list of companies you want to work at-it doesn’t matter if there’s a job there or not – remember, approximately 60% of jobs aren’t even advertised – that is what is known as the “hidden job market.”

• Now compare your list of the people you know against the list of companies you want to work at and try to find a match. A person on your list may work at one of those companies or they may know of somebody else that works in that company – either way it gives you an “extra edge” to you to find a way into the company of your dreams.

• The next step is to have a person in your list send your resume forward to their friends or associates in the company you have an interest in and to be your sponsor. Using your network increases your chances of getting access to someone in the company rather than sending a resume directly from an on-line job site or answering an ad through the paper. The majority of the on-line job sites or newspaper ads have a very low return rate and most of the time you don’t even get a response back.

For all of this to work properly, you need to have a quality resume, polished interviewing skills, and understand the importance of keeping in touch with everyone in your network. For other job hunting tips, visit our site at http://www.jumpstartresumes.com.